The Blue Dog Coalition was founded in 1994 to provide a unified voice for moderate members of the Democratic Party in the US House of Representatives, particularly on economic issues.The Blue Dog website highlights a little noticed government document that show the budget deficit last year was really more than twice what the administration reported.
The term "Blue Dog" originated from the "blue dog" paintings of Louisiana artist George Rodrigue, whose art hung in the offices of several original members of the coalition.
Although political views of the 37 Blue Dog Coalition members of the 109th Congress (2005-06) range from conservative on hot-button social issues to progressive on trade and immigration, the Blue Dogs are strongly united on fiscal responsibility and budgetary matters.
Writes the Blue Dog website, "The Coalition has been particularly active on fiscal issues, relentlessly pursuing a balanced budget and then protecting that achievement from politically popular 'raids' on the budget. Past Coalition budgets have won the endorsement of the nonpartisan Concord Coalition and multiple newspaper and magazine editorials. As one column pointed out, the Blue Dogs have proven that 'common sense, conservative economics and compassion aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.'"
Regarding issues facing the 109th Congress, "the Coalition intends to continue to make a difference in Congress by forging middle-ground, bipartisan answers to the current challenges facing the Country. A top priority will be to refocus Congress on balancing the budget and ridding taxpayers of the burden the debt places on them."
One of the startling revelations of the 158 page report, titled "Financial Report of the United States Government 2005", was the admission from Secretary Snow that the U.S. deficit under practical business accounting methods in 2005 was $760 billion - more than double the more widely reported $319 billion.Texas no longer has any members of the Blue Dog Coalition although most Democrats share their views on the deficits and contrast their party with the "borrow and spend" Republicans. Some of the internal Democratic politics about Blue Dogs can be seen in the Wikipedia entry. On a big issue last year, the credit card company and banking industry bankruptcy bill nearly all of the Blue Dogs were on the wrong side and did not force the extensive changes needed or reject the bill. The credit industry spent $100 million getting that bill through Congress and they got more than their money's worth. Have the Blue Dogs gotten too beholden to business interests? Is there a need for the Blue Dogs at all except for some members local political interests?
The Treasury report reinforces what the Blue Dogs have been saying for years: there is a complete lack of transparency, honesty, and accountability in the budget process. With House Republicans set to mark-up their budget next week, the Blue Dog Coalition calls for honesty, accountability and transparency in the budget, and urges Congress to adopt the Blue Dog 12-Step Plan for curing out nation's addiction to deficit spending.
I have more questions than answers. My belief is if you claim to be compassionate conservatives and fiscally responsible you should not favor credit card companies over people whose medical expenses plunge them into bankruptcy.
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